With the proud motto of ‘He who leads, the Borthwicks feature prominently in the pages of the colourful tableau that is Scotland’s frequently turbulent history.
With the roots of their name thought by some to stem from the Borthwick Water, in what was for centuries the lawless Scottish Borders, they proved stalwart defenders of Scottish freedom and independence, often at great cost to themselves.
It was Sir James Borthwick, who along with others who included Sir James Douglas, who attempted to fulfil the final dying wish of the great warrior king Robert the Bruce for his heart to be buried in the Holy Land, while William, the 4th Lord Borthwick, was among the flowers of Scottish chivalry slain along with James 1V in the carnage of the battle Flodden in 1513.
Shot through with high drama and romance, the stirring and inspiring tale of the Borthwicks is chronicled here.
